Postcard and a Penny #3

Maybe instead of saying 4.75 rating it would be better to say no 1's in the last 6 months or no unexplained 1's? I am reluctant to join since I got stuck with the person in the #2 swap who had a recent, unexplained one and I got flaked on.

I am so glad you mentioned using the pre 1982 pennies(copper). What a lot of people don;t realize is that pennies minted after then turn black in time and then you have garbage. Zinc pennies are not even tradeable if you get duplicates. I hope everyone does understand to that the postcard is to come from the location that the penny was squished at. Have had this trouble in the past. Thanks, Karyn

the machine i can get to puts the pennies in.. i don't get to put a 1982 penny in.. is this a problem to join????

Zinc pennies should be okay if that's all you can get. Machines in Canada and Australia come preloaded with zinc American pennies because it is illegal to deface their coinage and the companies that make them decided it is cheaper to use new American pennies than have copper slugs manufactured.

Zinc pennies actually only turn black if you don't take care of them -- usually if you get them wet or try to clean them with something acid based (like vinegar). There are polishes that can be used on them that won't harm them and there are other methods for protecting them ranging from simply sealing them in a coin holder to actually painting them with certain clear sealants.

I do agree that a lot of people who are "serious" collectors won't trade for zinc pennies but most of them make an exception if that's the only way to get the design and they want it for their collection.

I have this on my watchlist! ...I guess I need to start keeping a couple copper pennies in my pill box or something. Usually I end up with zinc.

@pennysquisher What's the best thing to clean them with? Tarnx?

There are lots of ways to clean pennies. Tarn-x is ok if you have some but be sure to wear gloves because it is not good for you. I think the easiest ways to clean pennies before squishing them are either ketchup or vinegar and salt. With ketchup you can just rub them with ketchup then rinse them off. They turn sort of pink but look good when they are squished. My favorite way to clean pennies if with vinegar and salt. I just put a little bit of vinegar and a little bit of salt in a small rubbermaid container then put the lid on and shake them. They get shiny pretty quick. Then you just take them out of the vinegar, and rinse them. It is best to also put them in some baking soda and water then rinse them again which deactivates the acid in the vinegar so they don't become discolored (a good idea if you're doing the ketchup at home too but I usually only do the ketchup if I run out of pennies while I am out and about).

Pennycollector has a page with different cleaning methods in their "tips" section. The URL is : http://www.pennycollector.com/tips_clean.html

Hi I am watching this swap while I think of penny squishing machines in my area. While I see the machines sometimes when traveling not sure where in Hollywood I would find one for this swap.

Could someone pm me info on how to find the machines please? Thanks Kaye

chappykat: Check out www.pennycollector.com, and click on "Machine Locations" at the bottom of the page. You may be surprised to find there are several machines nearby.

spuraway: If a machine puts in the pennies for you (as I've seen in a few places), that's the only way anyone is going to get that image. There is no way to get that image on copper, because you can't put your own penny in. In that instance, you can use the penny that comes out, even though it's zinc.

pennysquisher: Thanks for all of the helpful information!

Thank you SpeechieGirl for the link. I didn't realize they are everywhere. I can hop on the subway at Universal Studios exit @ Hollywood and Highland and walk across the street to the Ripleys Believe it or Not Museum! Yea!

A little late on this convo, but I do use tarnex, in the black bottle. I have a little jar that I put about 1/2 inch of tarnex in, I drop the penny and swish for about 30 seconds, remove with tweezers, rinse, and they look great. I have had no problem with it on zinc either. I actually sit and clean while watching tv, LOL Agreed, some machines load the penny and that's all you can do. I have a set from the Newport(Ky) aquarium like that. And for $1 a penny, you'd think they could at least use copper, LOL Question???? Has anyone here every did laminating of the PC/EC? It is really cool, especially when you only have one penny from a set. I do that then use a 2 hole punch and put them in a photo album. Really cool!!

Hi! I signed up for the swap even though I don't have a rating yet, but I am an obsessive smooshed penny collector and there is a machine right next to my office, I will not disappoint! Can't wait! My last smooshing excursion I found a lot of machines that provide their own new pennies and cost a dollar, what is up with that? Who can we write letters to?

Actually, zinc pennies only become black if you don't take care of them; typically, this happens if you get them wet or try to clean them with an acid-based product (like vinegar). They can be protected in a variety of ways, from just sealing them in a coin container to actually coating them with specific transparent sealants, including polishes that won't damage them.